Daniel D. Reidpath

Trump convenes ‘Shield of Americas’ summit with 12 Latin American leaders President called for regional cooperation in western hemisphere to counter China economic and political interests

Marvel and DC have a lot to answer for.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Kurdish opposition mulls whether to trust Trump after Iran uprising call Iranian Kurds weigh risks of fighting government, uncertain of US and Israeli support for any uprising.

The characterisation of "whether to trust Trump" is interesting. Trump is inherently untrustworthy. He is a transactional narcissist.

If they are mulling anything it is surely, can we offer him enough for long enough that he will stick with us.

The answer is probably 'No'.

aje.news/511mws

Middle East crisis live: Israel bombs Tehran and Beirut as Trump says no deal with Iran ‘except unconditional surrender’ Israel launched huge attacks on Iran and Lebanon overnight

The moving feast of a war with no strategy, no goal and no end point.

The beauty is, 'Victory' is whatever Trump declares it to be.

www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

El País:

La Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) ha denunciado al menos 13 ataques contra su personal e instalaciones en Irán, y uno en Líbano. Así lo ha confirmado Hanan Balkhy, directora regional de la OMS en el Mediterráneo Oriental, que ha agregado que

Airstrikes hit Iran-Iraq border as US and Israeli plan to mobilise Kurds gathers pace Experts say backing Iran’s ethnic communities could ‘open up a hornet’s nest’ and increase risk of chaotic civil war

Kurds are the largest geographically contiguous ethnic group without a homeland. They will expect a payoff better than the garbage deals they got in Syria and Iraq.

That will have enormous geopolitical ramifications for the future.

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Sounds like BS.

Donald Trump is a notorious liar. Threats should be believed but explanations and justifications are profoundly suspect until independently verified

An Emboldened Israel Is Seizing Opportunities to Remake Region

No surprises here. The regional predatory hegamon is empowered.

www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/w...

Trump rebukes Starmer over UK refusal to back strikes on Iran US president says ‘relationship is not what it was’ after PM defends decision not to allow use of British bases

Donald Trump is right, the relationship is not what it was. It used to be grounded (at least nominally) in international law and a multilateral system. But Donald blew that up, and continues the destruction.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Live Updates: Trump Suggests Extended War on Iran as U.S. Adds to Forces in Mideast

The President who avoided military service by lying about bone spurs during the Vietnam war, and promised not to entangle the US in foreign wars now brings the world this ...

www.nytimes.com/live/2026/03...

Strike on Iranian primary school kills dozens, authorities say Girls’ education facility hit as US and Israel launch joint military operation

Seeing as this story has all but disappeared from view, with the media apparently more concerned about the three US personnel killed. Its 148 schoolgirls and teachers killed so far.
www.ft.com/content/055d...

America the Predatory Hegemon President Donald Trump wields American power like few leaders in U.S. history ever have. By imposing tariffs, threatening territorial conquest, and ordering military intervention, he deploys the…

The title says it all, and seems particularly well suited to this time, "America, the predatory hegamon".

As Stephen Walt notes, just because things are bad doesn't mean they can't get worse.

pca.st/episode/1e71...

As the financial crisis deepens, UN faces growing pressure to cut salaries - Geneva Solutions The US is pressing the UN to cut staff pay to ease its budget crisis. Unions in Geneva say compensation is being misrepresented, but other states are also warming to the idea.

genevasolutions.news/global-news/...

For decades UN salaries have been benchmarked against US Federal civil service salaries.

Perhaps, if the US fulfilled its international obligations and contributed what it owes to the UN organisations, this conversation would be moot.

Joe Biden warns that Donald Trump will try to ‘steal’ midterm elections In a rare public address, former president said US is experiencing ‘dark days’ and urged Americans to vote

Colour me surprised.

Thank God for the perspicacity of age.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

These sound like the sly words of a man who lacks a moral compass or personal conviction.

Melania Trump to lead UN security council session, White House says First lady to preside over meeting on ‘children, technology and education in conflict’ in New York next month

Eleanor Roosevelt...Melania Trump. It all makes perfect sense.

No one could possibly imagine it is another example of US contempt.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Anthropic: Is the Pentagon overreaching on AI access? Anthropic, a much vaunted AI startup, is firmly in the Trump administration's sights. The Pentagon wants complete access to its models, despite safety and ethical concerns.

This will send shivers down the spine.

www.dw.com/en/anthropic...

The year is 2015. Barack Obama is president.

One idle speculator says, "Just imagine, in a little over 10 years from now, a neo-fascist homage to dictatorship could decorate the Justice Department"

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Germany cuts funding for integration of refugees The German Interior Ministry is restricting access to voluntary integration courses for immigrants, citing budget constraints. Many critics consider this a disastrous decision.

This is exactly the political move needed to ensure that there are future targets for discrimination and exclusion.

There's a how to guide in our 2005 paper: 'He hath the French pox’: stigma, social value and social exclusion

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

www.dw.com/en/germany-c...

With ‘Tremendous’ Deals at Stake, Trump Is Bringing Russia in From the Cold

In the past the US has cast itself as Batman in global politics. In the new franchise it plays The Penguin.

Global hero to global villain in a year.

Trump keeps showing the world who he is and what the US has become. Believe him!

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/19/u...

As a small child Marcia Rubio played with friends in the sandpit. He realised that one day their toys would deteriorate and break, so he laid them all out on the ground and stomped on them.

He told his friends it was to help them. He wanted them to make better toys.

They told Marco to fuck off.

UK ban on Palestine Action unlawful, high court judges rule Protest group’s co-founder wins legal challenge against decision to proscribe it under anti-terrorism laws

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Economics has failed on the climate crisis. This complexity scientist has a mind-blowing plan to fix that Doyne Farmer says a super-simulator of the global economy would accelerate the transition to a green, clean world

This is Isaac Asimov fandom taken to a new level.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong pro-democracy figure, sentenced to 20 years in prison for national security offences Family of media tycoon say he will ‘die a martyr behind bars’ if sentence is carried out, amid widespread criticism from press freedom groups

There is definitely only one system operating now.

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

Opinion | Trump’s Obama Derangement Syndrome

Maureen Dowd wrote, "It seems etymologically, metaphysically, geologically and ethically impossible that President Trump could reach a new low"

This reflects a poverty of imagination.

Donald Trump is the ethical equivalent of the event horizon. All rules break

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/o...

France dumps Zoom and Teams as Europe seeks digital autonomy from the US European governments are moving away from U.S. tech giants, opting for domestic or open-source alternatives.

This is one of the small wins in the global uncoupling and a great boost for open source software.

apnews.com/article/euro...

Not "powerful" in a traditional sense, this one threw me.

‘Grave moment’: end of US-Russia nuclear pact comes at worst possible time, UN chief warns António Guterres urges two powers to quickly sign new deal as New Start expires

Donald Trump is too busy doing important work to negotiate an extension to a nuclear treaty.

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

Israel kills 31, including several children, in relentless Gaza bombardment Israel carries out deadly attacks on Gaza a day before the Rafah crossing is due to reopen.

Israel loves the ceasefire.

It continues to murder Palestinian civilians and now the world looks away, because there is a "ceasefire".

Benjamin Netanyahu remains a wanted criminal for war crimes. www.icc-cpi.int/defendant/ne...

aje.news/8xzvds

‘Keep on dreaming’: could Europe really defend itself without the US? Nato chief has glibly dismissed prospect of coping without US support, but in the age of Trump the case for autonomy is growing

Given the US is highly unlikely to support other NATO countries, and is happy to threaten to invade them, Mark Rutte seems to be the one dreaming.

He wants European countries to bind their fortunes to a mad narcissist.

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...